Sealed package and method of making the same



June 9, 1931., A. M. BATES 11,809,103

SEALED PACKAGE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE- SAME Filed May 15 192 2 Sheets-Sheet l ZQuenhz 'Jlde /m r MBates.

1,809,103 SEALED PACKAGE AND METHOD OF Maxine THE SAME June 9, 1931,

A. M. BATES Filed May 15 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWMMWWWWMWWWMMWWWWWW A de /mer 113211 es.

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Patented June 9, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADELMER M. BATES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO ST. REGIS PAPER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK-N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK SEALED PACKAGE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Application filed May 15,

My invention relates to a sealed package and method of making the same.

My invention has for its object to producea package of bagged material, which may be cheaply and easily produced, which will retain the materialswith a minimum leakage and which cannot be opened and re-closed Without showing evidences of the operation.

This application is a continuation in'part of my former applications No. 506,366 filed October 8, 1921, and No. 517 ,451 filed November 25, 1921.

The specific embodiment of the invention, which I will now describe, consists of a filled. bag, the bag being made of crinkled paper and being folded in on its opposite sides and closed across each end by a reinforced seam. The process which I disclose relateschiefiy to the manner of forming the closures. The details of the package and the process of making it will appear as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a face view of a package embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of the same; Fig. 3 is an end view of the package "showing the appearance of the closing seam; Fig. 4 is a detail section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing a method of forming packages; Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view illustrating the manner of forming successive closures; and Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the final step in sealing the package. V

The preferred form of my package, as shown in the drawings, consists of a filled bag having a body 10 of crinkled paper. The ends of the bag are closed by seams 11 and 12. Reinforcing strips 13, 14:, 15 and 16 extend across each side of each end of the bag. These reinforcing strips preferably extend beyond the sides of the body portion, as at 17 andthe seams continue through the entire length of the strips. The sides of the body portlon are folded in at the ends of the seams, as shown at 18. I prefer to make these folds of such depth that the length ofv the seam across the body portion of the bag is substantially equal to the diameter of the filled package parallel with the end closure.

1924. Serial No. 713,636.

The reinforcing strips may be made of any suitable material, but I prefer to make them of material relatively stiffer than that of which the body of the bag is made and cardforcing strips and are preferably out in such a manner that tool marks 19 extend across the flush edges from side toside, and I prefer to have these tool marks in fixed relation to the stitches of the seam. It is sometimes desirable to have the reinforcing strips bear trade-marks or similar marks identifying the producer of the package. These marks may be placed on the strips before they are applied to the package, and appear entirely on the strips, as at 20 on the upper end of Fig. 1, or they may be applied tothe strip and adjacent Wall of the bag after the strip is positioned on the package, so as to produce marks such as 21 on Fig. 1. The cut edges of the bag-walls may be glued together, or impregnated with any desired solution, as indicated by the shaded portion 22 in Fig. 4.

In forming these packages, there is, first produced a tube 10 of crinkled paper long enough to form the walls of a plurality of packages. As indicated in Fig. 5, the tube of crinkled paper may be longitudinally collapsed about a feeding tube 23 having an enlarged lower end 24. The lower end of the tube is drawn down below the feeding tube. After the end of the paper tube is drawn down below the feeding tube, it is closed in any desired manner and a charge of material is fed through the feeding tube against such end closure. The paper tube is then collapsed above the charge, as at 25, and re inforcing strips 26 and 27 are progressively positioned across the collapsed portion of the tube. Two parallel seams 28 and 29 are then sewed longltudinally of the reinforcing strips through the strips and the intervening walls of the tube. This sewing may be done by any suitable mechanism, needles 30 and 31 being indicated on Fig. 6.

The strips and the intervening ba -walls are severed between the seams, pre erahly by a knife 32 which is reciprocated synchronously with the needles so as to make a cut for each stitch. It is difficult to make an absolutely smooth out with such a reciprocating knife, but I intentionally tilt the knife slightly so that there is a definite tool mark across the material at the severed edge, as shown at 19 in Fig. 3. p

I prefer to operate a series of filling tubes in approximately-parallel positions, so that continuous reinforcing strips may gressively positioned across the tubes, and the sewing and severing may progress continuously longitudinally of the strips.

Fig. 6 diagrammatically indicated adjacent portions of two tubes 25, 33 across which the continuous reinforcing strip 34 has been fed. The figure indicates the parallel seams 28, 29 progressively formed by needles 30, 31. The strip and bag-walls are progressively severed by the reciprocating knife 32 and the connecting portion of the strip across space 35 between the tubes is severed at 36 in any suitable manner.

In the broader aspects of the invention, it is im'ixiaterial whether the closures made in accordance with the diagrammatic showing of Fig. 6 are across tubes having chargesin their ends, as indicated in Fig. 5, or are across empty tubes. Closures could be made in a similar manneracross empty tubes, and the bags thereafter filled in any desired manner. The closures could be made a single bag length apart, and so close both ends of the resultant bags, or they could be made at twobag-lengths apart, thereby closing one end of each bag, or they could be made across a series of tubes each of the proper length to make two bags, so that empty bags would be completed by the process.

,After the packages are filled, closed and separated in this manner, it is sometimes desirable to perfect the closure by impregnating the severed edges of the strips and bagwalls with glue or other liquid. For this.

purpose I have diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 7, a shallow glue pot 37 having glue therein up to the level 38, and the end of the bag may be dipped in this glue as indicated in that figure. Any other desired liquid may be substituted for the glue mentioned.

Identifyingmarks 20 may be placed on the strips before they are applied to the bags; but where marks 21 are used, appearing partly on the strip and partly on the bag-wall, they are impressed after the closure is formed.

be pro- The advanta es of the several features of the preferred cm of package are substantially as follows: The crinkled paper is very suitable for this form of package, because a tube of suchconsiderably the stiff strips act as clamps across the en s of the package, as indicated in Fig. 3. Strips 13 and 14,'held together by the stitches of seam 11, will be spread a art somewhat at their upper ed es 40, 41 y tension of-bag walls 42, 43. T e stiffness of the reinforcing strips causes them to resist this spreading apart so that the material 44 within the packagedoes not reach seam 11 as readily as it would if the walls were not stiffened b these reinforcing strips. Furthermore, eac strip acts as a lever with the seam for a fulcrum so that the more the upper portions are sprea apart, the tighter thelower edges are held together, and leakage is prevented.

11 case one or two stitches break, the stiff- I ness of the reinforcing strips enables them to act as clamps and prevent the opening up of holes where such stitches are broken; and even if the strips do separate slightly at any point, the comparatively long passage between such strips does not allow as much material to sift out as would sift out through the comparatively short passage of equal crosssection through an unreinforced seam.

Where a still more perfect seal is desired the severed edgesmay be dipped in glue or other liquid, as previously stated, and the comparatively porous severed edges will readily -absorb the liquid.

Folding in the sides of the bag to theiextent indicated results in packages of substantially uniform width throughout their length and is an advantage in storing and shipping such packages. Furthermore, the stiff reinforcing strips aid in maintaining the shape and sightly appearance of the package, and the flush edges parallel with the seam assist in accomplishing the same result.

. The unauthorized opening of the packages and removal of part of their contents, or the unauthorized refilling of the packages, is rendered diificult by several features of the closure. In the first vplace the material of the reinforcing strips is such that a seam cannot be successfully ravelled and re-sewed without making new needle holes and leaving the evidence of the old needle holes to show that such ravelling and re-sewing has taken place.

The position of the reinforcing strips flush with the edges of the package walls, and the exactly parallel relation of the seam to the flush edges are features diflicult to duplicate in a refilled bag, and, furthermore, the tool 1 and strips after the strips are applied, the

strips cannot be removed and replaced so as to have the mark on the strip match that on the package without an excessive amount of care. When the flush edges of the strips and walls are glued together, the package cannot be opened without tearin or cutting. As a result of these combined features, the paclc age is one from which there is practically no leakage or sifting and one that cannot be opened and re-closed without leaving evidence of such operation.

While the cumulative result of the various features pointed out above renders unauthorized tampering with the package practically impossible, some of the features may be uti-' li zed without employing all of them. I have dlsclosed a preferred form of package and a completeprocess for forming it, but individual features of the article and steps of the process may be varied and may be used in other combinations without departing from the spirit of the invention. The scope of my invention is indicated, not by the details of the specific disclosure, but by the terms of the appended claims. The term flat is used in the claims to describe a strip which has a surface adapted to contact the bag-Wall for a breadth relatively great when compared with the thickness of the strip, and does not necessarily imply a smooth surface.

What I claim is:

l. A seal for flexible walled packages, comprislng a flat strip of reinforcing material, ess flexible than the walls of the package, on each side of twoadjacent edges of the package walls, and a sewed seam passing through the strips and the walls at a distance from either edge of the strips.

2. A sealing closure for flexible walled packages, comprising flat reinforcing strips engaging opposed package walls adjacent their edges, a sewn seam passing through the strips and walls and holding them firmly together, the outer edges of the walls and strips being flush with each other and parallel with the seam.

3. A sea-ling closure for flexible walled packages, comprising flat reinforcing strips engaging opposed package walls adjacent their edges, a seam sewed through the strips and walls and holding them firmly together,

the outer edges of the walls and strips being flush with each other and being glued together.

4:. A seal for packages and the like, comprising a pair of opposed reinforcing strips arranged one on each side of two opposed 7 layers of package material and a sewn seam passing through the strips and the package material and holding them together, the reinforcing strips extending beyond the seam and terminating flush with the edges of the package material held between them, there being a. series of tool marks on the adjacent edges of the reinforcing strips and the package material.

5. A seal for packages and the like, comprising a pair of opposed reinforcing strips arranged one on each side of two opposed layers of package material and a sewn seam passing through the strips and the package material and holding them together, the reinforcing strips extending beyond the seam and terminating flush with the edges of the package material held between them, there being a series of tool marks on the adjacent edges of the reinforcing strips and the package material, the tool marks bearing a'fixed relation to the individual stitches.

6. A seal for ackages and the like, comprising a pair of opposed reinforcing strips arranged one on each side of two opposed layers of package material and a sewn seam passing through the strips and the package material and holding them together, the reinforcing strips extending beyond the seam and terminating flush with the edges of the package material held between them, there eing a series of tool marks on the adjacent edges of the reinforcing strips and the package material, the reinforcing strips bearmg conspicuous marks identifying the producer of the package.

7. A sealfor packages and the like, comprising a pair of opposed reinforcing strips of such material that a perforation therethrough is permanently undisguisable and cannot be removed or filled up arranged one on each side of two opposed layers of package material, and a sewn seam passing through the strips and the package material and holding them together, the reinforcing strips extending beyond the seam and terminating flush with the edges of the package material held between them, there being a series of tool marks on the adjacent edges of the reinforcing strips and the package material.

8. A seal for flexible walled packages comprising a pair of opposed reinforcing strips of material stifi'er than the ackage walls arranged one on each side of two opposed layers of package material, and a sewn seam passing through the strips and the package material and holding them together, the reinforcing strips extending beyond the seam and terminating flush with the edges of the package material heldbetween them, there being a series of tool marks on the adjacent 5 edges of the reinforcing strips and the package material. 4

.9. A seal for packages, comprising a reinforcing strip anda straight line closure across an end of the package and uniting the reinforcing strip and the package walls, the strip and walls being cut off flush with each other and having tool marks extending continuously across the flush edges.

10. A seal for packages, comprising a re- 15. inforcing strip, a sewed seam across an end of the package and uniting the reinforcing stri with the package walls, the strip and wa s being out 01f flush with each other outside of the seam and having tool marks extendin continuously across the flush edges.

' 11. A seal for flexible walled packages, comprising a reinforcing strip of stifier material than the package walls, a sewn seam across an end of the ackage and uniting the reinforcing stripand the package walls, the

strip and the walls being out o flush with each other beyond the seam and having tool marks extending continuously across the flush edges. 7

a0 12. A sealing closure for flexible walled packages, comprising flat reinforcing strips engaging opposed package walls adjacent their edges, 2. sewn seam passing through the strips and walls and holdin them firmly together, the outer edges oft e walls and strips being flush with each other, there being a series of tool marks on the adjacent edges of the reinforcing strips and the package walls.

40 i 13. A sealing closure for flexible walled packages, comprising flat reinforcing strips engagmg opposedtpackagewalls adjacent their edges, asewnseam passing through the strips and walls and holding them firmly together, the outer edges of the walls and strips being flush with each other, the .reinforcing strips being of such material that needle marks therein remain permanently visible.

, In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub- '50 scribed my name to this specification.

ADELMER M. BATES. 

